The Witching Hour
by IncognitoGirl1993
Summary: Alternate take on S3ep17 In Heat. Will and JJ have strayed and gone their separate ways after JJ made the decision to break it off. When they're reunited to work a heavy case it forces JJ to question her past decisions. What is she to do when he appears to be becoming close to someone new and even closer to forgetting her? Slight AU. With bits of M/P.
1. Chapter 1

**I've finally begun another casefic sorta story. I said so from the beginning that I wouldn't do one for a while. But y****ou know those stories that just beg you to write them? Well this is one of them. ****Anyways I've decided on using Will this time as he's like my second favorite character besides Morgan.**

**The Witching Hour**

* * *

_Anger is just anger. It isn't good. It isn't bad. It just is. What you do with it is what matters. It's like anything else. You can use it to build or to destroy. You just have to make the choice._

_- Jim Butcher, White Night―Harry Dresden_

* * *

Chapter 1: From Then to Now

_There they were standing outside of the police department in Miami. _

_"You wanna break up?"_

_"Ye__―" JJ cut herself mid sentence while a look of horror crossed his face._

_"Y-You do?" Will asked in disbelief, hurt flashing in his eyes._

_"Yeah." She finally willed herself to say it. "I mean are we supposed to hop on a plane every weekend? And it's not like any of us want to relocate either."_

_"When did we have this discussion?" Will replied slightly angered._

_"Well do you?" JJ retorted._

_"Maybe."_

_She eyed him incredulously. "You want to drop your career in New Orleans to live in Quantico, Virginia?"_

_"Well I'd at least like to have that option," Will said sounding more like a plea. "Look, all I want is an acknowledgement from you to your friends that you care about me."_

_"Why?!" She snapped. "Why is that so important to you?"_

_Will narrowed his eyes in disbelief. "Why?" He closed his eyes and sighed before walking past her. It pained him that she didn't understand his feelings for her. "Take care of yourself JJ."_

_The clarity didn't escape her as she turned to him, his form already walking away. "Will!" But he didn't turn._

_And that was it. _

_Afterwards Detective Lopez had handed him his friend's badge and he was gone. There were no more phone calls, no more getting on planes during weekends, and no more dates. They had returned to their lives before meeting one another._

That was over a year ago.

JJ rose to the sound of her alarm before slamming the off switch. She rubbed her tired eyes and sighed. They had barely gotten any sleep till now and she was looking forward to enjoying that feeling just a bit longer. Although she couldn't deny the fact that it had actually been a long time since she'd been able to get a good night's sleep.

This night hadn't fully cut it either. Sleep had been a faraway goal that had yet to be accomplished. Not since... Deciding not to linger on those thoughts she quickly got ready for work.

It irritated her when she realized she was running slightly late. For goodness sake, she needed to get a grip on herself. Upon reaching the BAU building she noticed Reid rushing to the conference room.

"Hey Spence. What's the rush?"

"Oh, morning JJ. Hotch wants us in the BAU room."

The two made their way towards the conference room to find the rest of the team already there.

"The call was made by the head of the New Orleans Police Department." Hotch began once the team was assembled.

JJ's breath hitched. "New Orleans?"

"Yes." Hotch answered taking notice of her uneasy composure.

"What do we have?" Emily asked having also noticed her friend's discomfort.

"You're all familiar with the Colorado Condom Killer, right?" The Unit Chief continued.

"You mean the freak that'd leave condoms on his victims after he'd killed them?" Morgan replied.

"He kidnapped and killed nine women in the span of fifteen months." Reid stated. "Then suddenly disappeared afterwards and was never caught."

"He's been dormant for about two years now." Rossi added. "Hasn't he?"

"Yes," Hotch nodded. "But I've just gotten some new development that states otherwise." He gestured the screen. "Garcia."

The tech flipped the screen on. "The picture you see here is a victim found near an alley by the Meals From The Heart Cafe. Meet twenty-two year old Denise Gibbons. She was killed execution style and dumped in said alley but not before being reported missing by her parents. Like the others in Colorado an unopened condom was found at the scene next to her body."

"Same signature." Morgan stated.

"Next we have Abby Gomez who was found dead by a parking lot. She was reported missing by her roommate two weeks ago. She was also killed execution style and an unused condom was left by her body."

JJ furrowed her brows pensively. "You don't think this is a copycat?"

"Whether it is or isn't we're going to find out." Hotch said. "Wheels up in thirty."

"Be safe my angels." Garcia said as they bid her a quick goodbye.

* * *

"His MO is still the same," Rossi said as the team sat on the jet. "Targets have been brunettes and he leaves an unused condom postmortem."

"Well it's clear how he views women." Emily added with disgust.

"Leaving a condom on the scene symbolically shows that he believes women are only tools for pleasure." Reid added.

"This unsub is a classic narcissist." Hotch exclaimed. "He can feel no compassion or remorse for anyone but himself."

"Abby Gomez was found two weeks after her kidnapping and Denise Gibbons was found a month after hers, but there's no concrete evidence that states he had them for that amount of time." Morgan said "Same with his prior victims back in Colorado."

Everything about this guy points to being the Colorado Condom Killer." Reid exclaimed.

"Something tells me this isn't a coincidence." Rossi said. "I think this is our guy."

"But why choose now to come back?" JJ questioned.

"Something had to have set him off." Morgan replied.

"He waited two years to strike again," Emily pointed out. "That's one hell of a cooling off period."

"It doesn't make sense though," JJ exclaimed with a frown. "Guys like this can't wait to kill again... there's no way this unsub is patient like that."

"We'll work it like we always do." Hotch replied with a firm tone. "And he _will_ be stopped this time."

The jet had landed and the team had boarded the SUVs towards the police station.

Throughout the entire ride JJ had been a mess. Her insides felt like they were burning. She found herself having to wipe her hands over her pants on more than one occasion. Mentally she had berated herself for being such a nervous wreck but deep down she knew it couldn't be helped.

This was the first time she'd see him in over a year.

"How you hanging in there?" Emily who was adjacent to her asked.

"Huh, me? I'm completely fine." She replied trying to appear it. "Why would you ask?"

"No reason."

Emily wasn't convinced at all but still, she nodded. She knew about how things had ended with Will. Even though JJ had attempted on keeping her relationship a secret the truth was she had not fooled anyone; the entire team knew about them. Unfortunately that meant they knew they weren't together anymore too.

The trip from point A to B had been a complete blur for JJ. It wasn't until Emily shook her that she realized they had arrived.

"We're here."

"Right, sorry. I was just thinking. Come on let's move it."

A middle aged man appeared by the entrance and eyed them with relief. "I'm glad you could make it Agent Hotchner."

"Of course Chief Adams." Hotch replied before beckoning the team. "These are agents Rossi, Prentiss, Morgan, Jareau, and Dr. Reid."

"Glad y'all could make it. Follow me inside." Adams said as he led them towards the rest of the officers. "I know you've already worked with one of my detectives."

"We have." Hotch confirmed and didn't notice how JJ flinched.

"Hey Detective LaMontagne," he called. "Get over here."

"I'm here Chief." Came the voice of the Southern man.

"You know the BAU right?"

"Yeah, they helped me with the case my father left me. It's definitely gonna help that they're here." Will exclaimed. His eyes scanned the team and he greeted them with a smile before he landed on JJ. He greeted her with a faint nod before immediately turning away.

For JJ it was as if time had frozen when her eyes landed on him. He was now sporting a stubble and looked slightly more muscular then before. She frowned slightly as she noticed a dark haired woman catching up to him.

Adams beckoned the woman. "This is Detective Navas, she's LaMontagne's partner."

_"Partner," JJ thought feeling a slight jab in her gut._

"Rosemary is fine." The woman said with a smile.

"A pleasure." Hotch replied as he greeted her with a handshake. The team followed in suit.

JJ tried her best not to notice how close Rosemary stood next to Will; or how pretty she was.

Suddenly a man and woman barged in through the doors with the man balancing the woman whom was sobbing and looked like she'd fall any second.

"You have to help me!" The man said. "Our daughter... our daughter is missing!"

* * *

**Author's Notes **

**And there you have the first bit. Hope you enjoyed it.**

**I promise to update **_Fanfiction Trauma_** as soon as the gears for that story get back on track. Lately they've been going haywire but fret not my friends as I'm on top of things.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow I'm glad I got such a good reception from you guys. I didn't expect any less from the best crowd. Thanks guys.**

**The Witching Hour**

* * *

Chapter 2: Only Breadcrumbs

Emily rushed to the woman and helped her to one of the chairs. "What happened?"

"Our daughter Tori, she never came home from school," the man explained. "She goes to the community college near our house but she never returned home. I tried calling her but nothing! Please help us find her!"

"I'm gonna need all your information." Chief Adams said.

"Reid, get Garcia to track the cellphone. Let's hope she still has it with her." Hotch exclaimed.

"I'm on it." Reid replied as he dialed the tech.

"Morgan, take Prentiss and head to her college. Hopefully somebody saw something."

"You got it. Text me the address on the ride." Morgan said before turning to Emily. "Let's move it Prentiss."

"Yeah," She nodded and followed him out the door.

"He's pretty ball'sy to kidnap someone in broad daylight, don't you think?" Navas exclaimed.

"He's arrogant; he thinks he's smarter than any of the authorities." Rossi replied.

"We don't even know how long he'll hold her Hotch." JJ pointed out. "There are too many holes in the profile to ensure anything."

"She's right Aaron," Rossi added with a grim expression. "We don't know what exactly he sees in his targets besides that their all woman."

Hotch hated to admit it but what they were saying was the harsh truth. Very little had been accumulated from the assaults in Colorado. He wished his team had been able to tackle that case but their hands had been tied with current workload. All he could do now was give a preliminary profile to the officers here. He stared at the door where Morgan and Emily had exited through and inwardly prayed they could get results.

**... ... …. …. ... ... ... …. …. ... ... ... ….**

"So uh... what's up with JJ?"

"What?"

"Don't tell me you haven't noticed?" Morgan asked and sneaked a quick glance to his partner.

"Oh... that. Well, yeah I've noticed."

"Is she okay? I mean I thought she was over him. Didn't she dump him? And that Detective Navas seemed a bit too close to Will, or is it just me?"

"Jesus, you sure are attentive." Emily said with a small laugh. "You sound like a schoolgirl with how you're so interested."

"I'm not." He quickly denied the accusation. "I was just a bit curious and all. Know anything that I don't?"

She looked at him in disbelief. "You're asking me? I'm no expert in those kinds of situations in case you didn't know."

"Then I guess that makes two of us." Morgan joked.

"At least I have a cat."

"I have a dog."

Emily laughed. "We're quite the lonely pair aren't we?"

Morgan laughed before eyeing the building coming into view. Any prior mirth in his eyes died instantly. "This is it."

The two stepped out the vehicle; their doors closing a fraction of a second behind the other.

"This isn't good Morgan," Emily said as she eyed the area. "Everyone is going about like a normal day. You know what that means right?"

Morgan frowned as the dawning realization began sinking in. "Yeah, which means she wasn't taken from here."

"Her father told Chief Adams that she lives a walking distance from here to her home," Emily stated. "The area looks like it always has a crowd around it, excluding campus security, so how in the hell did she get taken without rousing any suspicion?"

Morgan placed a pensive hand on his chin. "He could've concealed a weapon and waited for her, it'd be easy if he stalked her prior to but," he paused to release an angry sigh. "We don't have enough to know if he stalks his victims or simply picks them on pure impulse."

A small beeping made Emily reach for her pocket and grab her phone. "Yeah Reid?"

_"Garcia tracked the phone, it's being text to you as we speak."_

"Alright, thanks Reid."

"What did the kid say?" Morgan asked once she'd hungry up.

"Garcia managed to get an address on that phone. It's a long shot but let's see where it leads us."

"That's my baby girl, always pulling through." Morgan replied as he hopped in the car. "Now I hope it gets us somewhere."

**... ... …. …. ... ... ... …. …. ... ... ... ….**

Morgan parked the vehicle and stepped out with Emily trailing behind him. This was the location where they had tracked the cellphone.

"Damn it." He muttered.

"Yeah..." She added.

The phone lay discarded in the middle of nowhere right by the train station.

Morgan frowned. "We have no leads Prentiss. It's a dead end." He leaned down to eye the screen that was currently on. "Check this out."

Emily followed his gaze towards the little screen. A message read: You'll see her soon. Bring a body bag. Her eyes narrowed. "He's toying with us Derek."

"My guess is this guy planned this, Prentiss. I'm sure he's aware that the authorities have gotten involved by now and so he left this. It fits to his arrogant nature. It's as if he's showing he can outsmart us."

"Well he's definitely going to go into hiding which means we're completely shit out of luck." Emily added wearing a grim look. "She... has a family Morgan, a family who will be devastated when he decides to..."

The sentence was left incomplete.

But Morgan knew what she was trying to say. The pain would destroy her family. Losing someone was unbearable. It made his blood boil that there was absolutely nothing they could do for young Tori Jenkins. A person who had her entire life ahead of her.

Morgan placed a supportive hand on her shoulder. "C'mon, let's get prints on these."

It was an extreme long shot and she knew it. But there was a message that he'd hidden in the suggestion. She had analyzed it easily. He was trying to not allow her lose hope; trying to not let her give up.

And all she could do was nod.

* * *

Hotch looked from the files he was examining when he noticed the two agents step in. Their slumped shoulders and defeated look was all the proof he needed to know it hadn't gone well.

"Did you find her? Where is she?!" Immediately Mr. Jenkins bombarded Morgan and Emily with questions upon arrival.

Morgan shook his head. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?!" The man repeated in disbelief while shooting him a glare. "What are you doing for her?! Are you people even doing anything?!"

Chief Adams leaned over to balance the man as his legs looked like they'd give way at any moment. He led him towards one of the chairs before turning to the BAU team. "What now?"

"I'm afraid we do not have much information on this unsub." Hotch answered. "All we can do now is put Tori Jenkins' photo out and relay the preliminary profile to your officers as quickly as possible."

Will frowned. "You tellin' me we have to wait?"

"For now, yes." Hotch stated. "Remember that we have a duty to perform, so do not lose your composure."

He angrily averted his gaze but nodded knowing he had a point. "Right."

JJ gazed at him with concerned eyes and mentally decided to check on him. Hours later and she'd found him filling himself up a cup of coffee by the break room. "Hey."

Will glanced at her in surprise for a second before retaining his neutral expression and facing away. "Any leads?"

"No, sorry." JJ replied ignoring the slight hurt at how he remained strictly professional, whereas before he'd indulged in small talk to make sure they held on to some sort of sanity.

A rarity in this line of work.

He turned to her again when he noticed she was still in the same position. "So? What is it? Did ya' want some coffee?"

"No it's not that. I just wanted... to check on you, see how you were doing."

His eyes narrowed slightly. "There's really no need. I'm fine, just had to get somethin' to calm my nerves down a bit."

Another pang shot through her. Was this how it was now? Back to being two law enforcers working a case –that once finished shall return to their everyday life– for a selected amount of time?

"I suggest we get back to it." Will said before heading back.

JJ sighed and lowered her eyes.

"You okay there kiddo?"

She turned and smiled at Rossi. "Why is everyone asking me that? Reid's been giving me the droopy eyes ever since we got here."

"We're just worried about you. I'm surprised Garcia hasn't decided on calling you and asking for the 'dirty details'."

JJ groaned. "Did all of you really know about us?" Had she been _that_ obvious with her attempt at keeping the relationship a secret?

"I'm afraid so." Rossi answered with a small chuckle before hardening his gaze. "You didn't answer my question yet."

"I'm..." She trailed off slightly when she noticed Will talking to Navas but quickly shook it off. "I'm fine Rossi."

He was far from convinced but wasn't going to push it. "Okay, let's get some work done."

It took three excruciating days until the news about a body came up.

Hotch was currently in his hotel room when the sound of his phone stirred him up. It was already way past midnight. He quickly reached for his cellphone that lay by the lamp. "Hotchner."

_"It's bad." Came the voice of Chief Adams._

Hotch closed his eyes as he heard the news. Even if he knew this was inevitable the hurt that shot through him was as painful as ever; and the taste of failure was just as bitter.

"Where?"

* * *

**Author's Notes**

**That took longer than I had initially hoped for. My bad about that guys but lately I've been watching too much football (soccer). **

**On a side note I'm excited for season nine of Criminal Minds.**


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